Chapter 1853 - Young Master Huang's Dilemma

"Confucius, surname Kong, given name Qiu, an illegitimate son of a minister's family in Lu, ancestral home in Shangqiu of Song..." Lin Zunxiu slammed the copied document on the table and cursed indignantly, "This is a roundabout way of accusing the Sage of forgetting his ancestry!"

Young Master Huang the Second stared blankly at Lin Zunxiu, utterly baffled.

"'Elegantly formal was Zhou; I follow Zhou.'" Lin Zunxiu knew this "Australian affairs expert" was out of his depth. He offered a reluctant explanation, but seeing that Huang Bingkun still didn't understand, he gave up and went to drink some cooling tea to calm himself.

"The Sage's ancestors were indeed from Song, descendants of the Yin-Shang dynasty. They were exiled by their sovereign and came to Lu as court guests." Liang Cunhou remained placid and continued explaining to Huang Bingkun.

So this was what "forgetting one's ancestry" meant. The Australians' insults even employed classical allusions... yet I didn't catch it myself... Huang Bingkun suddenly felt he had been humiliated.

Seeing that his point had finally landed, Lin Zunxiu's temper eased somewhat. He picked up the copied document again, but after reading only a little more, he slammed it down on the table in renewed fury.

"How dare they belittle Master Dong's great merit! How dare they compare our Sacred Teaching to debased cults and licentious worship!"

"I share mortal enmity with these Australians!" In his agitation, Lin Zunxiu sprang to his feet without a thought for discretion, pointing toward the Great World building and shouting.

Though Lin Zunxiu was a core member of the Jade Source Society, ostensibly "expert in Australian studies," his position was "Chinese learning as the foundation, Australian learning for practical application"—in other words, he advocated an "Australian affairs movement" that would absorb Australian technology and certain institutional advantages to prolong the Ming's life.

But now the Australians were striking directly at the root of "Chinese learning." How could he not be alarmed?

His outburst frightened Huang Bingkun half to death. Huang hurriedly tugged him back into his seat, murmuring "Quiet! Quiet!" in urgent remonstrance.

Though this was the Liang mansion's East Garden—a place Liang Cunhou guaranteed was "watertight" in terms of secrecy—to Huang Bingkun, the Australians' seeming "omniscience" had become a bone-deep terror.

Liang Cunhou remained seated calmly, still leafing through a copy of 200 Model Essay Questions with Analysis. This meeting was held not only within the Liang estate but specifically in the East Garden, accessible only to the innermost circle. Even the servants normally assigned here had been dismissed. The entire garden was silent as a tomb.

The document in Lin Zunxiu's hands was a copy of an internal meeting transcript, obtained through a "contact" two days after the Australians' cadre conference and delivered just this morning. Liang Cunhou had already read it. Seeing Lin's violent reaction, he judged it would be a while before Lin finished, so he decided to let Huang Bingkun read it first to save time.

Huang Bingkun accepted it with both hands, expressing his thanks. With repeated self-deprecating apologies of "Forgive my presumption!" he unfolded the document.

The transcript contained remarks made the previous afternoon by Liu Xiang and Zhang Haogu at the "Weekly Cadre Training Session." Since Han Yue's arrest, obtaining such materials had become more difficult—deliveries that once arrived the next day now took an extra day or more. But even without Han Yue, there were others. Especially of late, the Australians had begun paying their retained clerks partly in silver coins and partly in circulation vouchers. Those who had hesitated before were now far more willing to cooperate in these "harmless" matters—as long as payment was made in hard silver.

Nevertheless, the loss of Han Yue meant the documents they obtained were of significantly lower classification and arrived less promptly. After all, their current contacts were mostly "retained personnel."

Huang Bingkun was accustomed to reading Australian documents. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had finished both transcripts. Seeing that this "Australian affairs expert" had completed his reading, Liang Cunhou did not hurry to pass the document on to Lin Zunxiu. Instead, he asked directly, "Has my worthy brother finished? What are your thoughts?"

"..." Huang Bingkun's brows furrowed deeply. He sighed toward the heavens. "Our Sacred Teaching is in peril! The gentry of Guangzhou are in peril!"

"Please elaborate!"

"Leaving aside how this Prefect Liu has judged the ancient sages, I ask you all to look carefully at this document from the official surnamed Zhang." Huang Bingkun turned to the second transcript and pushed it to the center of the group. "This Zhang Australian's essay describes how the people of Song, after reaching Australia, transformed from civilized to barbarian. First they rejected the Sacred Teaching and criticized sacred learning; then they cobbled together a hodgepodge from the Hundred Schools and Western barbarian sources, proclaiming themselves the 'torch of Huaxia civilization'... And look at this passage where Prefect Liu criticizes our Founding Emperor—he calls the Emperor 'unlearned and talentless,' says he 'inherited many Mongol-Yuan barbarian institutions, representing a complete political and cultural reaction,' and claims 'rather than a restoration of Huaxia, his reign continued the backward and barbarous political system passed down from Liao, Jin, and Yuan,' that it 'poisoned generations,' and that 'in astronomy and calendrics, not only was there no progress, but a great regression—even inferior to the barbarian Mongol-Yuan'..." Huang Bingkun pointed to several key passages and expounded at length on the "Australian threat," finally summarizing: "What the Australians have done on Qiongya Island is meant to show those peasants that governance and livelihood can be managed perfectly well without our Sacred Teaching..." At this point, Huang Bingkun suddenly faltered—speaking frankly, it was not merely "just as well," but couldn't be better— "In the Australians' eyes, our Sacred Teaching is worthless."

The remaining core members of the Jade Source Society listened with expressions of desolation. A few like Lin Zunxiu detected the slip in Huang Bingkun's words and fixed him with glares until he trailed off, abashed.

"Only these few comrades remain in our society!" Liang Cunhou suddenly changed the subject with a sigh. Ever since the Australians announced they would hold a "special examination" in the ninth month, the Jade Source Society's anti-Australian consensus had swiftly collapsed. In less than a month, not only had the peripheral members vanished entirely, but even some members of the secret inner circle in this very garret had begun to withdraw—Wu Ming had been among the first to leave, and it was said he had even informed on them to the Australians, hoping to earn some merit. Yet the Australians appeared utterly indifferent: none of the Jade Source Society's core members had been arrested, and even Young Master Huang the Second, who had come all the way from Lingao, remained unmolested...

"Brother Huang, we all know your family has a blood feud with the Australians. Guangfu has fallen for over a hundred days now, yet the court has done nothing—surely treacherous ministers and mediocre officials have blocked the truth from reaching the throne." Liang Cunhou suddenly cupped his hands earnestly toward Huang Bingkun. "Would you be willing to shoulder this righteous burden and carry news of Guangfu's situation to the capital?"

Young Master Huang had long since concluded that there was no hope of overthrowing the Australians here in Guangzhou. He was more than willing to leave; but he also knew that with his shallow background, he had no influence even in Guangfu, let alone further north or at the imperial court. His own plan had been merely to urge the Jade Source Society members westward, to inform the newly appointed Governor Xiong of "Australian affairs." Now that Liang Cunhou suddenly invited him to "carry the news," he found himself at a loss for how to respond. Of course, he knew that prolonged silence might make this rare "loyal and courageous gentleman" doubt his sincerity. After only a moment's hesitation, he voiced his concerns.

"Governor Xiong is in Guangxi mustering his forces. Outwardly impressive, but in truth his defeat is already sealed," Liang Cunhou said slowly.

Those present all showed expressions of astonishment. After his panicked flight from Zhaoqing all the way to Wuzhou, Xiong Wenchan had somehow managed a "great victory" using local militia and stragglers: he had repulsed the Australian pursuit at Wuzhou, claiming "countless Australians drowned, fifteen caps recovered, one belonging to an Australian chief." For whatever reason—this victory or something else—the court had not punished him but allowed him to "redeem his crimes through meritorious service." Xiong was now established at Wuzhou, summoning troops and supplies, building ships, making a show of preparing to march east. For the die-hards in Guangzhou, Governor Xiong at Wuzhou was their great hope. Before the Jade Source Society dispersed, their most debated topic had been how many troops Xiong Wenchan would need to retake Guangzhou.

"...Were he given three or four years to gather provisions, weed out the weak, and patiently train troops and manufacture weapons, he might have a fighting chance. But the responsibility for losing Guangdong and Zhaoqing has not been forgotten. The Emperor's eagerness for results is well known; in all likelihood, Xiong will be pressured into a hasty campaign..." Liang Cunhou did not finish the thought, but everyone understood: such things had happened repeatedly in the past decade or more. Be it imperial impatience or pressure from court ministers, the result was always catastrophic defeat, lost armies, and surrendered territory. Xiong Wenchan would not escape this fate of Ming commanders.

"...Moreover, whether the Australians will even give him time to train and rearm is doubtful. Though he holds Wuzhou, the natural barrier of Zhaoqing has already fallen. He has but a few thousand dispirited troops; even if reinforcements come, they will take months to arrive. Should the Australians advance, Wuzhou could fall in an instant. At this moment, he can barely protect himself. If, my worthy brother, you are pinning your hopes on him, you had best abandon that notion. What I mean by 'carrying the news' is not to the two capitals, but to the Jiangnan and Zhejiang regions."

It turned out that Liang Cunhou's grandfather, Liang Younian, had served as Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhejiang, and his father, Liang Wendao, had held two prefectural postings. The web of connections from two generations of examination "classmates" and "colleagues" was quite rich. Though time had cooled many friendships, a number of retired officials and gentry in the Jiangnan region still exchanged several letters a year. Especially in recent years, some previously distant contacts had begun writing frequently to renew old ties—and of course, never neglecting to ask the Liang family's servants to purchase various "Australian curiosities" on their behalf. Liang Cunhou's plan was to use his father's and grandfather's network to transmit news of the "great upheaval in Guangfu" to the gentry-dominated Jiangnan region, and from there, through various political associations, to "reach the emperor's ear."

(End of Chapter)